Discussions By Condition: Common conditions

Chronic Hiccups

About once a week I get hiccups that are off and on throughout the day and night. They last for anywhere between 10 minutes to well over an hour. All my life (I'm 44 now) I have used peanut butter to get rid of them and it works. Not anymore. I do have GERD and a hiatal hernia and wonder if the hiccups might be a symptom from that. Any ideas? Thanks. Patty:confused:

128 Replies:

There's a high likelihood that your hiccups are related to your GERD/HH. There's some medications that you can take that would help. You might want to consider getting a scope of your lower esophagus, to make sure that your GERD isn't causing damage (Barrett's esophagitis).

Have you seen your PCP about the hiccups ? I was wathcing a TV program one night about Pediatric Nurses , the Nurse mentioned that hiccups can be related to Neurological problems , so I would check with the PCP especially since you are being awakened by it . Good Luck on finding a cure .:confused:

I am actually looking for an answer as well. My husband has had the hiccups for about 4 days now. They will rest for maybe an hour out of every day. They are through the night and are keeping us both awake!! However, in some research I have done, I found that Depakote is a medicine prescribed for chronic hiccups. GUESS WHAT--he just started taking the Depakote for unrelated condition about a week before the hiccups started. They say the depakote is supposed to relax the diaphram to keep it from spasing. I wonder if it could be doing the opposite in him. He is 35 and always been healthy. He to takes Nexium for "heartburn." That was his complaint and that is what the doctor prescribed. He has been taking Nexium for about 1 1/2 years. If anyone has suggestions, please help!! We obviouslty have done all the obvious to get rid of them. Paper bag, pineapple juice, peanut butter, water, straw, sugar, throwing up, etc....ThanksTina

for the past 2 or 3 months i have been hiccuping on average 10 times a day randomly.somtimes more. but its never a 'case of the hiccups'it tends to be around meal time. usually after i eat. sometimes before. and also a few times just randomly.its wierd

i have the same thing. I've had random hiccups for about 3 years now. I don't know exactly when they started or how but i just get them randomly thoughout the day. It is worse when i'm hungry or right after i eat. I probably hiccup about 10 times a day. Although sometimes it's more. It just depends. My room mate says she's never heard me do it in my sleep so i guess that's a good thing... I just want to know what's going on because now my little sister is doing it too.....

I feel ya! I have hiccuped for over 3 years too. It's the most random thing. Some times I hiccup for a few minuites, and sometimes it's once random throughout the day. It's a running joke with my friends because I hiccup so randomly. Anyone else do this too? bbennet3@radar.gsw.edu

LOL... I have had random hiccups all my life... they have recently gotten worse... i get made fun of by family and friends and now my new boyfriend... they used to be amusing.. but now they are very loud... just one hiccup.. maybe 5 times a day... rarely there will be two sequential hiccups... but it has been known to happen... there are some things that trigger a few hiccups other than the ones that I have previously mentioned... the ones that I know are going to happen (so not random) are from drinking pop... usually a violent hiccup right after the first drink.. i rarely drink pop so this is not often..but every time i do drink pop..it happens without fail.. and the other is if i have swallowed food and it gets stuck in my esophagus .. they will last until the food has gone down..i usually have to drink some water slowly and help it down.. as soon as it is through then i am alright and the hiccups are gone... although I realize that these are not going to go away.. and in the beginning they were funny...I hope they do not get any louder!... i guess i am going to have to find more positive and amusing things to say about them when the office turns to see what the ***l just made that loud strange noise... for now.. until i find something else.. I just turn and say "random hiccups... its a family affliction".. shrug my shoulders, smile and walk away..

Hiccups are caused by trapped air in the oesophagus. I have a wonderful trick to get rid of them. Ask someone to stand behind you. Raise your aems to shoulder level. Ask the person to pull your arms back as far as poss without causing you any pain. Whilst this happens, you need to take very deep breaths and try to burp if possible. Then get the person to release your arms. Breath out. Repeat this process for a further 3 - 4 times. It always works

I've had random hiccups as well. Over 4 years now. Its usually 2 or 3 every hour, sometimes more. I haven't noticed a common time for them...eating or drinking doesn't make them more common. Have any of you seen a doctor or someone for it?

i have been getting random hiccups for the past like, 3 months, and i get them like, 15 times a day with no warning.just randomly.people think i'm faking it, ebcause it's jsut one, but i'm not.gees lawees.

I get hiccups every single day and i have been for about 6 years. I get bouts that last from 15 seconds to 5 minutes or longer. I usually get them twice a day but up to ten times a day with of course single hiccups in between.I sound like a puppy trying to cry :'(Or someone once said i sound like a pokemon! Im lost.

This sounds funny, but try eating a teaspoon full of sugar. It works to relax the muscle spasm causing the hiccups. Don't use splenda or diabetic replacements just regular sugar out of your kitchen. It works for me and my kids every time.

It's good to know that there are others out there who have chronic hiccups. I've had mine for almost a year and have had maybe 3 days without them. When they first started I was averaging 50 hiccups a minute. I think that the worst part about them is that I get random people coming up to me and stating the obvious. Then telling me some home remedy for them. Now I just laugh when they do it, because if I tell them how long I've had them they wouldn't believe me anyways.

I have had random hiccups for about 10 years. There is no rhyme or reason to it. I just hiccup quite loudly several time a day. I am a grad student and work as a teacher and find that the best thing to do is act like it didn't happen. My students usually won't say anything if I ignore it. I know that it doesn't happen while I sleep only when I'm awake. I haven't found anything to get rid of them, I've accepted my fate as a random hiccuper.

Glad to read that other people have this problem too. Makes me feel a little less alone. I have had them for 4 years. I single hiccup around 30 times a day. They dont sound like normal hiccups either, ive been called a seagul, a sea lion, etc. My friends and family laugh at me, worst is in uni when it happens in lectures. People have actually asked me if i have tourettes!! When I actually hiccup in a row, they are very violent and hurt my whole chest. I tend to get them when ive been talking alot, or just eaten or drunk something.I went to see the doctor last year, i've had blood tests, chest xray, even medication. Im waiting to see a specialist. Has anyone else been to the doctors and found out why they do it?

i have the exact same problem...its annoying. a little girl onced asked her mom where the puppy was after i had my famous "single hiccup" it can be embarrassing when im by myself. ive just spent some time on the internet looking up possible reasons why this happens and it seems that smoking, eating too fast or anxiety are the most likely causes. good luck:)

I saw this on a TV program a couple of years ago about real emergency room cases. I also tried it with a co-worker who had a bout of hiccups and it worked nearly instantly. Press your index fingers into your forehead right above the eyes, a little bit above the eye ridge of the skull. Do this for 20 or 30 seconds. I seem to recall from the program that this somehow stimulates the vegas nerve. I'm not a physician, but this seems passive and harmless enough.

My 17 yr old daughter has had random hiccups for 5 months now. They almost seem like a reverse hiccup and can be very loud, like a yelp. Our Pediatrician thinks it is in the tic family and has referred us to a neurologist. Has anyone found a cause? I think it might be stress and anxiety related. It has become more pronounced recently and I'm not sure if she might need a Psychiatrist...any ideas?

my 19 year old son has had hiccups for the last 5 years at least. He gets them after he eats or drinks anything. In the mornings he will not have them until after breakfast and then they began for the rest of the day. coming about every hour, 2 or 3 hiccups, sometimes more, and they last until he goes to sleep. anyone know anything?

Hi everyone,I'm in the same situation, I've had the random hiccups since I was 6 and I'm 22 now. At first it was funny and it made people laugh, but now its starting to get worse. I can't remember a day where I've gone with out having a hiccup.It started off being a single hiccup about 3-6 times a day now its about 4 hiccups on hour. They happen more ofen when I am tired and just about to fall asleep, they wake me up. Also I've noticed that about 20min afer eating I'll get a whopper hiccup.I'm on no medication, I'm healthy and have no idea where they came from!If anyone has suggestions, any other symptoms to look out for, or if they know these random hiccups are the sign of something else, let me know!